Christopher Zobrist, BS 02

Founder, Zobrist InternationalVietnam

Christopher Zobrist’s relationship with Vietnam has grown from
tourist to permanent resident to social entrepreneur on the verge
of helping to rescue the fast-developing nation from rampant lead
poisoning.

Zobrist, BS 02, is brokering a deal for Vietnam’s first lead battery
recycling plant to break ground next year. He tuned in to this serious
environmental need in between managing the international arm of his
family’s IT consulting firm, Zobrist International, and teaching entrepreneurship
in the Saigon South campus of the Royal Melbourne Institute
of Technology.

“I thought it was a very compelling story,” Zobrist says of the battery
recycling venture, noting that 90 percent of US batteries use
recycled lead. “There’s nothing groundbreaking, yet there’s absolute
need in Vietnam to have this.”

Vietnam, a nation overrun by motorbikes but lacking an indigenous
source of refined lead, currently has no modern lead recycling
capacity. Instead, battery recycling means melting down used batteries
in conventional ovens. This poses a danger to surrounding
communities because the smelt lead rises into the air and then settles
onto the ground and into the water table.

Using a “very old technology” but “very profitable business
model,” Zobrist has attracted investors that include the largest
domestic battery manufacturer in Vietnam.

“There are so many opportunities to get things started if you can
find the right people to work with,” he says. “With local partners especially,
you can really start something big.” He gives a lot of the credit
for the success of the battery recycling factory venture to his partner,
Linh Pham, a Vietnamese national who studied abroad and returned
to Vietnam to pursue the venture.

Entrepreneurship took root during Zobrist’s Berkeley years.
Sensing leadership development was underemphasized for undergrads,
he started a student-initiated course called Leadership and
Organizational Dynamics. He taught two semesters then passed
the torch to his teaching assistants. It’s been taught continuously
since 2001.

Zobrist, who is half-Vietnamese, first visited Vietnam in 2005 to
explore his roots. His mother grew up in what was once Saigon and
came to the US to study at USC. She went on to build a career as
an IBM executive before starting boutique IT consulting firm Zobrist
Consulting Group in Los Angeles with her son.

Zobrist, who earned an MBA from UC Davis, later moved
to Vietnam seeking international experience. Starting small,
business for Zobrist International grew rapidly with
his all-Vietnamese staff.

Managing Zobrist International is now taking less time,
allowing Zobrist to focus on building new socially beneficial
businesses — like the battery recycling factory. He also
serves as the regional representative in Ho Chi Minh City of
the Haas Alumni Network.

“I work on things that I am really interested in. I love
teaching. I love managing my IT business. And I’m very passionate
about social entrepreneurship,” he says. “Vietnam is
the perfect environment for me.”